This one will move a few units at Wal-Mart, but no more. [July 2005, p.69]

The visuals may not be pretty, but what else are you going to do off-season. [Sep 2006, p.96]

The effort made for new palyers is commendable. [August 2002, p.73]

Guardians of the Galaxy's story may eventually get someplace interesting, but it's a poor fit for Telltale's simple quick time events and stiff dialogue sequences.

If you have a capable rig—and don’t experience the crashes I did—I think it’s a worthwhile experience. Still, it’s less interesting than Dark Souls in terms of plot and setting, and full of wandering and grinding that first tested my patience, and finally made me as powerful as some of the bosses. If I could take its combat system, weapons, and enemies and put it in another more interesting game, I would.

Lacking the tension of jungle warfare and adding deathmatch multiplay that's utterly bland, Vietcong 2 ends up being just another passable effort that neither flops nor inspires. [Mar 2006, p.51]

Reloaded has recreated APB, but reined in its ambition. Most of the same problems are here, but for a better price. [Mar 2012, p.70]

Nightfire has some of the worst AI I've ever seen in a big-budget game release. [Feb 2003, p.61]

Restrictive design decisions sap the energy from a series that revels in it, and technical issues deal the killing blow.

Cris Tales never manages to build its curious premise into an entertaining tool.

Art of Murder gets most of the fundamentals right, but after spending an hour or so with its grating characters, banal dialogue, and inept plot, you probably won't care. [Oct 2008, p.63]

Toothless writing, old-fashioned open world design, and ropey port work undermine what should be a thrilling cinematic adventure.

Passive AI and a flawed economy ruin what could have been a refreshing 4X experiment.

Shockingly un-shocking, it's too much mood and little "boo." [Mar 2004, p.73]

Italian folklore makes for a unique setting, but Enotria lacks the smooth combat and smart mechanics you'd look for in a decent soulslike.

But it seems that developer Frogwares spent more time attending to the genre's flaws than crafting an engaging adventure game. [Sept 2008, p.72]

MM4 is what a game about toy cars shouldn't be--boring. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

If party trivia is your thing, buying the Trivial Pursuit board game is a better investment. [Nov 2004, p.87]

For all its awkwardness and self-regard, we need more games like this, that try to broaden the medium and aspire to better it. Eventually, we'll get one that succeeds. [Apr 2013, p.109]

In expanding on its predecessor, Layers of Fear 2 sinks into a state of deep confusion.

Ryse: Son of Rome's combat and incredible graphics are entertaining, but it's too narrow and repetitive, even for a short game.

Crisp combat let down by boring enemies, repetitive missions and a disconnected story.

Not hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

Finding opponents (on the internet) proved a chore given that there's no central lobby or matchmaking service - you have to know the IP address of another player. [Feb 2004, p.67]

Few games have had me scratching my head over design decisions like this one, and yet I'm still avidly playing it nearly three weeks later. [May 2003, p.64]

Occasional thrilling battles can;t make up for the fact that a majority of the time spent in BSG Online is just plain dull. [Sept 2011, p.72]

If you can turn off your brain, Enforcer can be fun for 20-minute sessions. [July 2001, p.73]

Nearly every game I played (via a cable-modem connection) was hindered by lag issues at some point, and "network disconnects" were common. [July 2003, p.80]